Kimberly E. Stuart served in the United States Air Force from 1988 to 1995, and the Wisconsin Air National Guard from 1995 until her retirement in 2003. Stuart worked as one of the first female Electromechanical Technicians repairing and maintaining nuclear missile silos in the frigid plains of North Dakota. She discusses what life was like for the gay and lesbian community at this rural base and the strategies they used to protect themselves as tensions rose around the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy. Since her retirement she has run the organization Veterans for Diversity, the only LGBTQ+ veteran organization in Wisconsin.
Trigger warning: please note this interview contains an account of a sexual assault.
